Travis: I'm a decent human being

Former Radio One disc jockey Dave Lee Travis has told his trial he is "astonished" at sex offence allegations against him and told jurors he is a "normal, decent human being".

Becoming increasingly angry as he was cross-examined, Travis denied indecently assaulting 10 women and sexually assaulting another in incidents dating back to 1976 and the height of his fame.

"Suddenly I'm a great predator," he told jurors at London's Southwark Crown Court.

"These things did not happen. I don't know how I can convince you that they did not happen.

"I'm a normal, decent human being. I play jokes on people. I cuddle people. And if there have been some sexual interactions in the past, it's been consensual.

"It's been suggested that women threw themselves at me - thank God most of them missed."

Appearing under his birth name David Griffin, the 68-year-old, also became annoyed when questioned by prosecutor Miranda Moore QC about claims he grabbed a female journalist's breasts after asking her to pose for suggestive photographs.

"I'm a professional in my photographic life. I'm a professional in my broadcasting life.

"I do not want to touch the breasts of anybody, let alone anybody who works for the press. That would be suicide.

"I have not been groping people for 40 years," he said.

Ms Moore said: "It's got you written all over it Mr Griffin. Because you've been doing it for years and getting away with it."

The defendant, known as DLT, replied: "I've not been doing it for years. I've not been getting away with it."

The charges relate to allegations from when he was working as a BBC DJ, as a broadcaster with Classic Gold radio, while appearing on Top Of The Pops and when starring in panto.

Ms Moore put it to Travis: "The way you have behaved over the last 40 years, since (the first victim) in 1973 through to (the final victim) in 2008, is that you had just done it and thought, 'I could do that, I'll get away with it'."

Asked why the alleged victims would have invented their claims, Travis suggested there were "umpteen reasons", including that they had "dreamt" them.

"I'm trying to look at alternatives," Travis said.

He told jurors that if one of the victims had got confused by a dream, "I would call her an unfortunate person who's had some sort of a mental lapse in terms of not being able to tell the difference between reality and nonsense".

He also said Twitter and Facebook could be to blame for the women coming forward with similar stories.

"I'm saying that is one of many possibilities and you can't go through them all," Travis added.

Ms Moore said: "The other possibility, of course, is that they're telling the truth and you're telling lies."

Travis replied: "Absolutely, it's their word against mine. This is what this is all about."

Referring to claims by a journalist that he had a "sleazy" photograph of a celebrity on his wall, Travis told the court that he displays photographs he has taken of famous people in his home.